Mr. Honda’s involvement is something of a coup for the JFA, and they’ll be hoping that some of his global appeal rubs off on their proposal. The midfielder was one of the players of the tournament in South Africa, scoring two goals to help his country reach the knockout stages of the competition, drawing worldwide praise and the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Boosted by Mr. Honda’s star turn, Japan rose to 32 in international soccer authority FIFA’s rankings after the tournament from 45 before it.